Never Forgotten, illustrated by the incomparable team of Leo and Diane Dillon, this story is spoken by the Griot (African storyteller) whose words have the rhythm of drum beats. In lyrical verse, it tells of Dinga the blacksmith whose wife dies leaving him to raise their son Musafa. Elements of folklore weave through the story as Earth Mother, Fire Woman, Water Maiden and Wind Spirit nourish and seek to protect the boy when he is kidnapped by slave traders. The spirits follow Musafa across the Middle Passage to find him enslaved and working as a blacksmith like his father before him. This message returns to Dinga who celebrates "With the Mother Elements by his side, Celebrating the son who was taken, But never forgotten." The Griot reminds us that Musafa was one of millions. Patricia McKissack gives voice to the taken and the left behind.

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace explores the meaning of peace."Can peace creep up on us, seep into our souls, or do we have to search it out, coax it, give it space?" Anna Hines explores the subject of peace at home, in the world and within one's self. Each evocative poem is illustrated with handmade story quilts.

In Amazing Faces, Lee Bennett Hopkins has collected a multicultural array of people who reveal the universal emotions we all share. Whether happiness, sadness, excitement or pride, these feelings express the experiences that make us human and let us make connections to others. "A young soldier returns home-----keeping miles of memories sealed within One heartbreaking boyish grin."

Guyku a Year of Haiku for Boys

Haiku at its most fun. Throughout the seasons, boys frolic and play. In winter “Two splotches of white / on a black tree trunk. I aim / my next pitch—strike three!” Bob Raczka captures moments in nature complemented by Peter Reynold's delightful cartoons in which each seasons is depicted in a single hue.

Dear Hotdog by Mordicai Gerstein celebrates ordinary things from toes to toothbrushes. Three children spend their day; they play, eat, and enjoy everyday things. Illustrated by the author, these are poems in which young readers will see themselves. "Leaves" tells us, "In spring, yellow-green and tiny, you pop out and dress big trees in baby clothes."

Step Gently Out--this title is good advice for being mindful of the beauty in the smallest creature. The stunning close-up photography of Rick Lieder reveals the lattice of a damselfly wing or lets you share the dew sparkling web with a spider. Helen Frost leads you on this journey of discovery with her words, "In song and dance and stillness, they share the world with you."Watch her world below.

I Lay My Stitches Down by Cynthia Grady is a moving tribute to the African American spirit. She says this in the introductory page, "Quiltmaking and poetry share similarities in craft. In one, color and shape are organized into an overall pattern; in the other, sound and structure create the pattern, Each poem...is named for a traditional quilt block and reflects a metaphorical patchwork of circumstances encountered by enslaved people in America."